CURRENTS; Blueprint For Architects

ATTITUDES About Architects Department: At the recent convention in New York of the American Institute of Architects, the pollster Louis Harris presented the results of a survey the institute had commissioned on what people think about architects. The survey had two parts: a poll of 1,253 members of the public and a survey of 201 leaders in the building industry, social sciences, education and government.

Some of the findings on public attitudes, which Dr. Stanton Peele, research director at Louis Harris & Associates, called a ''call to action for architects'':

* When asked which of five professional groups inspired the most confidence, respondents listed architects second, behind doctors but ahead of executives in advertising and in corporations and lawyers.

* ''Designing cities that are livable'' was cited as the most important contribution architects could make in the 21st century.

* A majority said they believe architects ''are very important because they can make the difference between buildings being beautiful and good to work and live in, rather than being hard to work or live in.''

But not all the news was so positive. Seven in 10 members of the public agreed that ''architects often increase the cost of buildings beyond their worth.''

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A version of this article appears in print on May 26, 1988, on Page C00003 of the National edition with the headline: CURRENTS; Blueprint For Architects. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe